


a low and tragic thing

by elphieao



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 21:32:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16525046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elphieao/pseuds/elphieao
Summary: Luke’s just so fucking cold.It clings to him, follows him around like a stray dog he fed once and can’t be rid of; close by, closer still when he lets it.And to be honest, he’ll always let it. The life of an addict; he’s always going to agree to things he shouldn’t, to hold open the door when he should be securing the deadbolt.





	a low and tragic thing

Luke’s just so fucking cold. 

 

It clings to him, follows him around like a stray dog he fed once and can’t be rid of; close by, closer still when he lets it.

 

And to be honest, he’ll always let it. The life of an addict; he’s always going to agree to things he shouldn’t, to hold open the door when he should be securing the deadbolt.

 

*

 

“I’m so cold,” he says through chattering teeth. Steve stops what he was about to say and lets out a sigh; “C’mon, in the car; it’s better there,” and puts a blessedly warm palm to the back of Luke’s neck. Luke tries to grab hold of that warmth to wrap it around himself like a blanket. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but his big brother’s here and has a hold of him, and he’s _clean_ , honestly he is, so it all seems like a bad dream turning out okay, though not necessarily good. It seems like he’s going to be taken care of, and he’s not too proud to admit that that’s something he needs right now.

 

Everything gets even safer, even more secure as they start towards the sedan, though the wind still bites; a shiver tears through Luke’s limbs and he grabs at his own elbows desperately, ineffectually, and a weight drops down around him. It takes a second to process that Steve’s shrugged off his coat and has placed it around Luke, his hands securing it against his arms until Luke grabs the material himself to hold it close.

 

Once at the car, Steve opens the back for him to slide into, and is clearly about to shut the door and climb into the front passenger seat next to Paige when Luke shoots out a hand. He ignores the questioning glance as he attempts to pull Steve down into the back seat next to him, eyes focused on the opposite corner but fingers holding tight, almost bruisingly hard on Steve’s forearm. He can feel the shame in the heat rising to his cheeks, tears gathering in the corners of the eyes he can’t lift to his brother’s, holding a breath he can’t afford in the chill and praying that Steve understands what he’s asking for so that he doesn’t have to say a goddamn thing.

 

Thankfully Steve does understand, and he just gets comfortable in the seat as he pulls the door shut behind him. Luke sees him share a glance and a nod with Paige as she starts up the car, but he’s so tired he doesn’t even fucking care that he’s being handled with kid gloves.

 

Luke ignores the additional burst of embarrassment when he pushes even closer; an arm settles around him and pulls him in, and he thinks the cold is beginning to drop off of him, to seep from him pores and fall away like dead leaves from a tree. 

 

His eyelids are heavy but he doesn’t sleep, not yet; he can wait until they reach their destination. Right now he’s just gonna cling to his brother’s side until he can make his breaths match the steadier ones beneath his ear, the streetlights glowing yellow as they pass underneath.

 

In the dark, Steve finds his hand and grips it tight enough to hurt.

 

*

 

Later, Steve will break the tentative peace; he’ll speak in halting bursts about the House, and pain, and Nell, oh my fucking God, _Nell_ , and Luke will feel like he’s dying all over again.

 

But right now, right now he’s wrapped in his big brother’s coat; he’s in a car with people who’ve promised to take care of him if he’ll let them and he’s safe, he’s _safe_ ; the only thing that would make it even better were if his sisters were with them, if his twin were there.

 

Though, in a way, he knows she always was.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is other than my heart broke a dozen times as I binged the shit out of this show, and I just needed for there to have been some more comfort shared between the Disaster Children.
> 
> As usual, I own nothing; this is purely a work of fiction.
> 
> Title from "Ghosts" by James Vincent McMorrow


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